The Stars that Beckon
by Das Blah
Summary: When a seemingly alien arctic fox conveniently lands in the middle of human run Earth, a wanted man turns into the only voice of reason, striving in an effort to bring the fox back to her home. Though in their efforts against all odds, the two soon discover, that nothing is a coincidence.
1. Chapter 1: When Angels Fall

As the late summer winds howled through the city, wracking against the buildings that be, the stars of the night drowned in the lights of the city, forced to recede to the darkest depths of the sky. The cool roads stood still in their silence, awaiting for a single body to wake them from their slumber. Though while the city may rest in its silent bliss, one man grows ever restless, as the darkness dawns upon him, consuming his every thought, contorting his every motion. His sweat dripping down his skin, seeking the glory of the fabric that was his bed. He jerked, his limbs yet again migrating across the bed, his hand hitting the bed-side table. The pain surged through his hand, forcing it to relocate, though not without a stir. The man awoke, his presence turning from one of fear and worry to that of calmness and comfort. He looked across to the source of the pain, the small white table that consisted of his bed-side, a clock blared the time at him, its light red hue bouncing off of him.

"2:33am" it read. The man felt the bed, its dampness, its wear. The covers thrown far off, his pillow seemingly vanished. He awoke in a mess, though from what? His mind wandered peacefully, at least he believed it did. Was it instinct perhaps, the worry that something might happen? His mind raced as he pondered the origin of his awakening as he left the bed to its own devices, giving it a chance to breathe. He strolled into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water from the tap. He leaned against the counter as he drank, yet again taking in the details of his flat. While some called it small, it suited him well. The kitchen was minimal, though had two counters instead of one, a much better sight than others. A second bedroom that was once occupied, a reminder to the lonesomeness he wilfully endures. The living room that lead to the balcony, overlooking a small street in the outskirts of the city. He was lucky enough to keep the couch, let alone the TV. He set the glass down into the sink as he began to shamble back to bed, though something caught his fancy.

A rumble, a shaking in the distant skies, screams unlike any other. Not normal screams, no. Screams of the air, screams of the sky as it begs against the torture. Screams that grew and drew upon him. Screams that tore and bored through the winds. Screams that came ever so close, until a cracking in the atmosphere. The man ran to the balcony, looking upon the sky. A meteor, an asteroid, no something different, something odd. Something that didn't belong. It bellowed through the sky as it screamed towards him. His eyes wide and his mouth ajar, he stepped back. It was coming so close. More rumbling, more screaming, more shrieking, shrieking? It hit the ground with a quake as strong as nature itself, tearing through the road. The sounds of tearing concrete, tar and metal thundering across, dividing the road with a new fault line, coming to a stop just near the building. The man looked closely, his eyes fixed on the wreckage, though unbelieving in what they laid witness upon. A mess of metal and glass and fire and fur, fur, fur? Fur that moved, fur the bled. This wasn't but a meteor, no, this was a remnant of an ancient race, one of the unknown, though a new race nonetheless.

The man raced back to his room, forcing the fabric that covers over him, a shirt and some pants, nothing fancy, no footwear. He ran down the five flights of stairs to reach the ground floor and subsequently the road. Lights puckered on all around him, the slumber of the city had been disturbed, people began to grow restless with only so few minutes of disturbance. The man approached the crash, twisted metal everywhere, shattered glass and an oozing liquid, while a mass of white with black with red lay in wreckage, looking only so slightly disturbed. It twitched. It moved. It groaned. It trembled. It lived. The man got closer, standing only on his knees to her the sounds of the mass in pain. It twisted and turned, revealing its shape, humanoid in figure, though made of fur of white and black, a snout that resembled that of a dog or a fox. Pointed ears that twitched and turned with every passing sound and murmur.  
"Uh, uhn… Wh-what, what happened?" It spoke, though it didn't just simply speak, it spoke his tongue, the tongue of his people. He was baffled, amazed, terrified, yet joyous at it all. They had made contact with another intelligent species. In the distance sirens could be heard, the sounds of vehicles speeding along the once restful roads.

"Hey, your uh, ship thing crashed." He glanced at a limb, caught under the metal that continued to slice at it with every twitch.

"Just keep still, I'll get you out of here." He got a nod in response, it understood him. He could hear its breathing, trembling, uneven, waving, growing ever so distant from its will to live. He pulled at the wreckage, tugging at its skin, its weight only digging further into the creature's flesh. He can't lift it, no man can. He looked about, his gaze jumping from object to object looking for a tool, not just any tool, _the_ tool. He looked at what seemed to be its back. A new mass, cleanly shaved metal, few lights glowering on it, like the ship, technology that until now had remained unseen. Yet, it felt familiar. He knew it. He knew how it worked and how to use it. How he did not know, though failed to take priority. He dug through the mess of metal and concrete and glass, looking for a special something, something that until this moment was nothing. A nothing that became a something as his hand scraped along it, analysing it, identifying it. He pulled it out, the sirens growing closer. A gauntlet of some type, with an orifice for a tool or weapon. The man wrapped it upon his wrist, fastening it tightly. A cord protruded from it, a cord that was quick to be collected by the other hand of the man. He pushed the fabric blocking the device, raising the interest of the creature. Its ears twitching, its head tilting towards him, giving the man a glance of the eyes, a bright blue shining in the fires of the wreck. The man plugged the cord into the device, the creature yet again reacting, its eyes widening of wonder and co-operation. A new light protruded, a light of blinding orange making the shape of a cleanly cut blade sitting against the arm of the man.

He hacked at the metal holding the creature down, tearing it asunder, gases escaping as he sliced it in two. Within seconds the metal was split, the limb separated from the wreck. The creature began to move, though with great difficulty. The man helped, dragging it away, keeping it isolated from the destruction.

"Alright, I'm gonna pull the metal thing out, okay?" The man said, grasping the sheet tightly. The creature simply nodded and groaned, slowly slipping away from consciousness. It braced itself, and the man pulled, tearing the embrace of the metal apart. The creature gritted its teeth and moaned in pain, its breathing getting heavier, its eyes tightly shut. Blood oozed from the limb, freely escaping the confines of the flesh. The man tore off his shirt, wrapping it tightly around the limb, absorbing the blood as if it were a sponge. The bleeding had a new barrier to get through, and bought it some time. Now that the creature was safe from the wreck he could see the full figure. Completely humanoid, the damaged limb appearing to be a leg. The hands and feet covered in black fur as with the ear tips, with a large bushy tail protruding from the pelvis. The man scooped up the creature into his arms, its limbs dangling loosely in the calm warm air.

"Who, who are you?" It asked, its eyelids drooping low as its mind gave way.

"Monty, the names Monty." Monty smiled at it, hoping to show it was safe, despite the proximity of the sirens. He turned with the creature in his arms, his gaze coming upon the swarm of police that surrounded him. Blinded by the headlights and his head filled with the sounds of the sirens, he flinched back, struggling to keep himself composed.

"Hey! Put the thing down!" Another man yelled, a tinge of fear cracking through the gruff, low voice.

"She needs help; we need to take her to a hospital!" Monty could only assume it was a she, he couldn't truly know.

"We don't know what the hell, _it_ , is, put it down, _now!_ " Monty could now see the figures through the light, his eyes adjusting to the intensity. Multiple men and women were holding guns against him, while only handheld they were more than lethal.

"That doesn't matter right now! What matters is that our first contact with aliens isn't to just leave them on the road to _die_. If we don't help her, then we're gonna have a political crisis _twice_ the size of Trump! So please, let me get past, and put her in an ambulance." He remained calm, hoping that his pleading would get through to them.

The officer sighed, and they sat in an unbearable silence, the crackling of the fire irritating them ever so slightly more as time drew on. A crowd was beginning to form, people from the nearby homes, curious to the crash and the shouting that came after it.

"Sir," A woman started,

"No, he's right. Alright, fine, get in the ambulance, we can't let anyone else see it!" The man returned, showing sympathy in his voice. Monty smiled and nodded as he jogged to a nearby ambulance, ensuring to keep his arms steady so as to not disturb the creature. Though as they drew closer and closer to the blinding lights, her eyes refused to take the punishment, her eyelids growing closer together. She was safe, she could rest, and as they entered the shining white vehicle, she slipped into the ever growing darkness, as if she were an inhabitant of the city, in the dead of the night…

"Ma'am, please, I'm going to need you to calm down." Came a familiar voice. Had she made it, was she back home? All she remembered was the crash.

"Did you see anything when she disappeared?" The voice spoke again.

"Y-yeah. There, there was a loud noise, and a massive light. A giant, _thing_ , and suddenly she was gone." Another voice arose, one she knew.

"Cherry?" She released. She could see them now, her sister and a rabbit, not just any rabbit, _the_ rabbit.

"Cherry, I'm here…" she called out, yet the futility catching up to her. No, she wasn't home, far from it. This was but a dream, a memory of a lost world. But how? It was so clear, so precise, so perfect. She gazed around, hoping for an answer, though seeing only darkness surrounding her.

She could feel something, something that shouldn't be there, something that didn't belong. A something that was consuming her, controlling her, creating the dream. She fought hard to find the something, though the dream began to fade. Cherry turned to her, a ghastly frown moulded onto her face. The rabbit could feel it too, the two could feel each-other. It turned to her, its eyes wide and its ears as straight as could be.

"A-Angel?" She called out.

"Judy, can you see me?" Angel responded, her blue eyes glistening in the vanishing moonlight.

"Yeah. What's going on? Where are you? How can we find you?" Judy stopped, knowing the answer to them all.

"How are we talking? Hell is this even real?" She asked, fear gripping her voice. Angel's gaze turned upon something, something that didn't belong, something horrible, something familiar. Judy soon followed, turning towards it. A fox, machinery dominating its back, its stare one of disappointment, as if they've failed it.

And despite the fear that sought to drag Angel down, something else blossomed, she knew it.

"Monty." She whispered. She didn't know why, she didn't know how, yet she knew who it was. It smiled at her, a sinister smile, and with a final glance at Judy, the darkness consumed all, and entered the blinding of the light…

She awoke with a stir, her ears twitching and her eyes snapping awake. She looked around the room, it felt like home. The clean white look of a hospital, the sounds of children playing the background, maybe she had made it home. She could not tell, as the worlds looked so similar. She turned her head to see her vitals as healthy, an empty drip bag and an assortment of tubes entering into her arm. As her eyes wandered around the room they happened upon a small clock.

"1:24pm" it read, the numbers softly glowing a bright red. Her gaze continued to wander, taking in the setting of the room. An endless sea of white, white tiles, white plaster, white metal, white _everything_. They may be different shades, but they all bore the same colour. She heard footsteps from through the door, light yet each step making a signature click as they made contact with the ground. The door swung open as a young and rather short lady with dark skin entered.

"Oh, you're um, awake." She said, seeming nervous.

"I'll go get you some lunch and make a phone call, okay?" Angel nodded in response, only now noticing her fatigue, her lips dry and her muscles sore, refusing to move even an inch. The lady smiled and left the room, leaving Angel to her own devices. She was still with the humans, but she was safe, finally.

Like her eyes, her mind wandered, the dream from before still fresh in her mind. She felt like she spoke to Judy, somehow, through an endless amount of time and space, the two managed to talk. It shouldn't be possible, it _can't_ be possible. She'd seen technology beyond her wildest dreams, but even then, how can two people talk to each other through a dream? How can their minds be connected in such a way to allow them to, _talk_ , to each other? And to witness what seemed god-like, maybe her past had gotten to her head? Maybe she'd been so taken out of reality, her mind began to blend what seemed real and what didn't?

She heard a knock, her ears twisted on their joints, facing towards the door.

"Come in?" She called out, hushing away the curious voices in her mind. The door opened, and in came a tall, slender man. His hair short and messy, his eyes dark brown, and the scruff on his chin beginning to divide and conquer, claiming more and more of the land of his face.

"Hey! I see you're awake." He said with a smile, ensuring the door didn't slam. Angel breathed a sigh of relief and began to sit up.

"Yeah, hey. Monty, right?" She asked, her voice as weak as she felt.

"Yeap. Never caught your own name though." He seemed glad she remembered his name.

"Angeline, or Angel for short." She held out her paw to shake.

"Angeline Carter." She smiled, the edges of her mouth beginning to dominate her cheeks.

"Monty Boyle." He took her up on the shake, keeping his steady smile. As they shook he noticed the lack of a fifth finger, the leathery paw pads and the silk like fur that surrounded the pads. Soon their limbs parted ways and they sat in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, not knowing where to start.

"So, I guess we should just run through the basics." Monty started, hoping to gain at least some progress, his face showing a more neutral expression.

"As you could probably guess, the whole government's got their panties in a twist over your crash. They've done a good job in covering it up, but people still saw you there, and the last thing we need is the UN coming at us again." He explained, hoping to gain her trust. She simply nodded and raised an eyebrow, not sure where he was heading.

"So, you're lucky I found you before they did. Let's just say that I'm the only reason they're only gonna interview you, instead of a proper interrogation." He finished, a small smile yet again forming on his face. Angel followed suite and sighed, she hadn't even thanked him for saving her.

"Thank you." She said, her smile genuine and her eyes glistening.

"For saving me. Not many people would do the same where I come from." Her smile began to falter, but she didn't want to drag Monty into the mess that is her home.

"I don't think many people from anywhere would do the same. The prospect of simply seeing another alien race seems to terrify a lot of people." He said, seeming to grow sympathetic. He called her an alien. She didn't feel like one, yet to these people, she was. They'd never seen anyone like her, or anything else from her home.

"So, where _do_ you come from?" He prodded, taking a seat beside her bed. She began to hesitate, but decided to give in. He deserved at least that much.

"Mammalia." She started, but seeing Monty's obvious look of confusion she decided to continue.

"A planet covered entirely in Mammals, like me. I lived in a city called Zootopia, where-"

"Every mammal lives in harmony singing kumbaya?" He finished, smirking.

"How did you-?" She started.

"Wait that's the actual place?" He asked surprised.

"Uh, yeah. But it isn't as cheery as you said. Sure, every kind of Mammal lives there, but it isn't exactly in, _harmony_." She continued.

"So would you be considered a fox over there?" He asked.

"Yeah, an arctic fox. How'd you guess?"

"Well, we may have done a DNA test on you and found some, _conclusive_ , results. Results that suggest that you're a hybrid between a human and an arctic fox." He explained.

"Human?"

"Yeah. Funnily enough, the human parts of you seem to match my own. While not perfectly, it's still close enough to be considered a match." Her eyes grew as wide as they allowed, this was new. There had been stories and ideas that every mammal came from a single species, though nobody ever believed in it. Maybe it held true?

"So what I wanna know, is how did you get here?" He asked.

"Like, chances are you've got a personal ship and everything. However, you're reactions to everything aren't exactly what we'd expect from an advanced alien race."

"Well, we aren't exactly advanced, like the pod I crashed in." She began to explain.

"I, that ship, didn't, come from Mammalia." She started, struggling to figure out how to explain everything. She sighed, she had to try.

"I was captured by other, aliens. I was out working, and was unlucky enough to see one of my clients getting abducted, so they took me too." Yet again that name rang through her. Monty, Monty, Monty, it kept popping up. She didn't want to reveal too much, but somehow, she knew that Monty was already part of the mess, that it was unavoidable.

"They weren't what you'd expect from aliens. They were crazy, psychotic. So many different races, all of them as nuts as each other. They were a cult. After they found out I was an engineer, they agreed not to do to me, what they were doing to the others..." She continued, Monty nodding along as she went.

"-if I helped them design stuff. I had to learn all about their technology, but it kept me out of trouble, at least by their standards." Her face began to contort, memories that she'd rather leave behind resurfacing.

"What, were they doing to the others? If you don't mind me asking?" Monty prodded.

"Well, at first it was to me too…" Her pulse grew greater, her eyes misting ever so slightly and her breathing beginning to waver. She tried to bury her emotions, to grow past, though they only grew, making her face contort so much more violently.

"Hey, you don't have to say if you don't wanna, I can get an idea from the look you're pullin'." He said with a sympathetic smile, calming her down. He knew how to talk in the right ways, she had to give him credit for that. They sat there, letting the gravity of what she's said weigh them down. Though Monty couldn't help to think of the benefits she could bring, she was a person, yes, but morals are only a tradition. A tradition to be kept, or should it really? Traditions get in the way of progress. They also breed culture and creativity, two likings not needed in the face of the world presented. Soon, Angel managed to compose herself, recovering from the acts of the cults.

"E-Eventually, our ship was under attack by another race. Don't know who, but they battered that thing enough to make us abandon ship. I took the chance to find a one-manned escape pod, and ended up here,"

"Where I found you." Monty finished. His smirk revealing his more playful and relaxed nature. He was one to joke and mess about, though to what extent, she wondered.

"I've already thanked you for saving me." She said with a soft smile, beginning to amuse herself.

"Maybe so, but you haven't explained the thing on your back." While thanks and talk were nice, there were still questions to ask, mysteries to solve, answers which Monty intended to gather.

"What, the HUI?"

"HUI?" Monty asked, perplexed. Just as he had imagined, was the acronym the same though?

"Yeah, Human User Interface. It's not meant only for humans, but they kept the name since it just, works." Angel explained, though curiosity taking over.

"How, did you know how to use it?" She asked, her voice adopting a more serious tone.

"Well, I've been playing with the idea of one for a while, toying with my own designs. Plasma kept in place by electromagnetic fields?"

"I see you're quite the engineer yourself then, hmm?" She let out a smile, she was impressed. The one man who just so happened to save her from a wreckage seemed as smart as herself. Or was it just luck?

Her ears twitched and began to tilt, a knock on the door that soon moved ajar. The nurse from earlier had entered, a tray of food in hand and men in suits following behind.

"Ah sir, y-you can't be here!" The nurse called out, fear stricken. Monty looked behind the nurse to see a cleanly shaven man growing of age with short grey hair and green eyes.

"Don't worry nurse, he's, meant to be here." The man said with a tinge of disappointment.

"Ah, Malcolm. Good to see ya again!" Monty called out, offering his hand to shake.

"Don't get too excited. This is still a mess." Malcolm stated as he entered the room. The nurse placed the tray on a nearby table and quickly left the room as Malcolm proceeded to enter.

"I guess you've already met Monty." Malcolm held out his hand to shake towards Angel.

"I'm Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister of Australia." He offered a smile as she took him up on the shake, and in return gave her own smile.

"I'm Angeline, Angeline Carter."

"Alrighty then, now that we're all introduced, let's get down to business." Monty started, eliciting a sigh from Malcolm.

"Well, Miss Angeline, I'm sorry to say that we're in a bit of a mess here. Our first contact with an alien just so happens to be with the UN's most wanted criminal." Angel's eyes went wide, was he speaking of Monty, who was only grinning in the background? Jesus Capybara she didn't want to know what he'd done, but she had to know, every possible voice conflicting with each-other.

" _Why_?" Was all she could let out in her bewilderment. Malcolm shrugged, gesturing at Monty.

"Well, a rumour came about that I'm somehow the end of the human race. Once America began to perpetuate that and the UN started to believe it, Malcolm here with the only sense of reason turned to them, told 'em to fuck off, and helped me hide here." Monty too was shrugging, as if he couldn't believe the story he'd just told. Angel was in just as much disbelief as him, her look of surprise not going un-noticed by Monty.

"I know right? Luckily my boss was willing to look past the whole 'End of the World' thing, and I'm still in a job." He finished.

"As the one thing that the rumour claimed to lead to the end." Malcolm interrupted.

"Don't tell me you're believing them. It's bad enough I had to flee America, I don't need to be running from here as well."

"I'm more worried about if the UN discovers your occupation. You're a leading physicist and executive for Star Corp., the exact job and company that came from the rumour." Malcolm stated, worry cracking through his voice. Monty shrugged, he believed it to be made up, he was in the job before the rumour started.

"And what's worse, the UN is going to want to find out what came in that crash. Our intelligence teams heard that they know it wasn't a meteorite, so they won't buy that. We could reveal the alien to them, but they'd want to, "interrogate", her, which would just create more tension and reveal that you're alive." Malcolm frowned, the situation stressing him.

"Then say it was an empty pod. Reveal that to the public." Monty suggested, Angel beginning to nod as she thought the proposal through.

"Would they believe it?" Malcolm asked, hoping for an elaboration.

"If we set up the story right, then yeah." Monty adjusted himself where he stood, beginning to lean on the wall.

"Say that a malfunctioning AI from an ancient civilisation sent the pod here, and died in the crash, its remnants being unrecoverable. We can use one of Star Corp.'s AIs and plant it in the wreck. We show the wreck to the media and subsequently the UN, Australia gets some of its trust back, and they won't poke around for an alien." Monty explained, seeming pleased with the thought.

"Oh they'll poke around. They'll have people looking in every hospital, research building and military base twenty-four-seven until they find her." Malcolm retorted, though seeming somewhat calmed.

"Well, what if she was staying at a private residency?" Monty proposed, catching both Angel and Malcolm by surprise.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Angel asked.

"Well, you could stay with me. At least, until we can get the UN off our backs." Monty explained, with Malcolm seemingly in agreeance, nodding as he talked.

"That, would work. The UN would have no right to check a completely random apartment that has no affiliation with us." Malcolm began to smile, yet again amazed at Monty's genius.

"What about proximity? Wouldn't that be warrant enough?" Angel asked, both sceptical and interested in the idea. From what she gathered when he saved her, Monty lived close to the crash, _very_ close.

"We've been through that area multiple times, cleaning everything out and making sure people don't remember properly. The UN wouldn't get anything out of that area if they tried, so they won't bother." Angel began to agree with them. She was both impressed and amused at the same time. A physicist had possibly just solved a political crisis. That same physicist just gained some brownie points with the Australian government. It'll make future plans easier. Plans that'll most likely fail. Or will they? The UN may be in the way, but when such plans are complete, well, the civilians will be willing to take of them.

Malcolm nodded, a smile forming. He knew there was a reason to keeping Monty alive. There was always method to his madness.

"The question is, when will she be able to leave? I've been living alone for a couple of years now, so she's able to move in whenever." A smirk began to form on Monty's face, a classic smirk seen too many times by Angel. Labelled as the "Sly Fox Grin", as a fox could not smirk without baring some teeth. Angel smiled back, her ears falling to the sides ever so slightly. This'll be an interesting stay, no doubt about it.


	2. Chapter 2: An Angel's Birth

The doors flew open as Monty entered the room. He quickly analysed it and the others present, taking in every feature. The large elliptical table in the center, lined with black leathery chairs and a beautiful view on the city making up the side wall. On the walls that weren't glass sat frames and paintings of famous scientists alike, from Isaac Newton to Stephen Hawkins, of whom was present in the room. Monty smiled at the five other men and women, and took a seat, awaiting the good news.

"I wouldn't keep that smile Monty, this isn't exactly good news." Came a worn and croaking voice.

"What news is it then?" Monty retorted, his smile fading.

"Well, I don't know if you've seen the news, but Brand is _dead_." Came another voice, younger, much more malleable.

"Dead?" He asked, his eyes widening. It was all an act; he was caught up on every bit of news feasibly possible.

"Yes, _dead_. I know you've been out of the loop for a while with that fox of yours, but you must've heard it!"

"Lucas, forgive me, I've had the most painful week. An _alien_ crashes right next to my apartment, the UN is going nuts over it, the warp drive fucking blew up and worst of all I had to hide in my basement for a couple days because of the UN searching the area." Monty returned. While in actuality the stress was minimal, what he said wasn't a lie.

"Right, sorry." Came back from Lucas. A tall slender man like Monty, though with dark skin and shorter hair. Lucas to them was a human calculator, able to solve the most complex of problems in the shortest of times.

"Back to the subject" Hawkins started, his robotic voice almost jarring Monty.

"Yes, Brand has unfortunately perished, and the worst part is that he had a solution to the warp drive's exploding problem." Came another voice, female, originating from Barbara, the chemist of them all. Short, blonde and covered in make-up, she was the last person they expected to join them. She proved that looks can be _very_ deceiving, demonstrating an extreme skill to remember every chemical compound they make and how to make them. She was incredibly smart, yes, but very easy to get a grudge, deciding on Monty as her mortal enemy.

"And let's be honest, you still won't have a solution." Barbara shot out, her eyes darting between her fellow scientists. Monty sighed, typical barb, she'd be next.

"Now, Brand isn't what we wanted to talk about." Came yet another voice, again female. Macy, a young French woman whose intelligence is undermined by severe autism. Though, she couldn't be more valuable.

"His death his sad, and he will be remembered, but we came to talk about your proposal, Monty." She said, leaving a smile on Monty's face.

"Well I got this far at least, let's talk." He said, beaming.

"Well… It's interesting, I'll give it that." Again came the worn voice, originating from a man named Eugene. Short and stubby, he created Star Corp. and brought them all together, and he'll be damned before anyone tears it apart, especially Monty.

"It's bloody insane, but I like it." Retorted Lucas, letting out a low chuckle as he thought the plan through, simulating the entire world in only his mind.

"Let's just run through everything, I've got problems with all of it." Started Eugene, he liked the idea, but as the leader he had to remain sceptical of it, hammer out every kink in it.

"So you're proposing that we use the wreckage and adapt its technology to our own designs to create a ship that can bring your alien home." He allowed a pause, giving the words a chance to sink in.

"First of all, how do we get the wreckage?"

"The Australian government just contracts to us, I can get that done easy."

"Okay, secondly, what makes you think we'll be able to understand their technology, let alone adapt it?"

"Angel's an engineer that studied their technology while she was an abductee, she'd be able to help and plus it's all standardized quite nicely, already we're getting pretty good ideas as to how it works."

"Alright, thirdl- wait, we?" Eugene raised an eyebrow, he knew Monty was always up to something, but after the UN exiled him, getting connections had never exactly been easy.

"The lab boys back where the wreck's being held." Monty returned, seeming somewhat bored and unchallenged, as if he was expecting a fight.

"Alright, _thirdly_ , how will we find it's home?"

"We haven't got that far yet, but we've got ideas."

"Such as?"

"Poking the dead AI found in the wreck."

"That's our AI."

"Yes, and no. It's our AI, certainly, but something, changed it. We're still trying to figure out how and exactly in what way, but a third party influenced it. If we poke it enough, we might be able to get some records."

"Hmm, now, even if we get the wreck, adapt its technology and find the alien's home, and that's a pretty big if on its own, how the hell do you expect to hide it from the UN?" He finally asked, seeming somewhat annoyed. This is where the fun begins.

"Fuck 'em." Monty said with a sinister smile.

"Excuse me?" Retorted Eugene, baffled.

"Fuck 'em. So far the UN has proven themselves to be nothing but bickering, troubled assholes who have too much power. Consider this, how would the public react if the very man that's been demonized is revealed to be working on not only the future of the human race, but on getting the newly found alien that he's been looking after home. Suddenly, the rumour that's been spread around is immediately destroyed. People start questioning the UN and if they're really right, and in their attempts to yet again kill me, the public will demonize _them_ , leaving us free to do as we wish." The entire room was stunned, an atmosphere of amazement, bewilderment and dread loomed over them.

" _WHAT!?"_ Blurted out Eugene. He was almost lost for words, a deep-seeded rage that'd been building up since Monty's joining finally released, all into one orchestration of words.

"You mean to tell me, that you chose to look after the alien, for _browny points!?_ And that, you want to _destroy the UN!?_ _WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?_ " He screamed, stunned at Monty's monumental stupidity. Monty was glad though, he had a reason to get rid of Eugene.

"Th-th-they'll _kill_ you, it's fucking _brilliant_ , yes, but the chance of success is next to _nothing!_ " He continued, catching Monty by surprise. He approves? Even with the whole screaming thing? Even Barbara was caught off guard, usually being the cynical one this never happened.

"You seem to forget that I ran from the UN for about a year straight, surviving on what little I could scavenge." Monty returned, his interest being spiked

"Yes, but Australia's already been kicked out of NATO. They won't just hunt you, if they see what's going on, they'll _go to war_!" Eugene retorted, practically pulling his hair out.

"Then we've won." Monty said, that sinister smile returning to him, that feeling of dread and suspense yet again looming over them. Eugene had completely stopped, it felt like even his heart had stopped.

"You see, the public hates war, now doesn't it?" Monty began, the room eerily still after Eugene's outburst.

"How will they react, when the UN goes to war with a nation, that's acted righteously in the eyes of many other nations, over a rumour, that so far isn't coming true?" Monty paused, the silence getting to all of them as they thought through the scenario. Simulation after simulation of what could happen, _none_ of them good.

"Protests, debates, referendums, _riots_. Suddenly, people will hate the UN. It won't just not get in our way; it'll cease to exist all-together." He finished, holding back on the desire to _truly_ finish. Everyone began to nod, they understood. They had gotten into a political nightmare, and the only way to get out of it is to kill the monster, the monster which just so happens to be the UN.

"But who'll replace them?" Asked Eugene, something new in his eyes, something much darker, much wiser. Eugene knew, didn't he? He already knew the answer to his question, what Monty would say and what Monty would desire were two completely different things, and in the game of politics, no other man can be more dangerous than the one who's lies can become truths…

The past two weeks were painful to endure. Angel's status as an alien earned her complete isolation from _everyone_. The only people allowed to see her were government officials, her nurse, whose name she discovered being Francine, and Monty, who visited daily. Each day would go by in the same un-changing order. Francine would come in with breakfast, Angel would lie in bed watching television until the time reached two in the afternoon, in which Monty would arrive, refuse lunch as he'd already eaten, and the two would talk. He was the only source of entertainment at that point, bringing stories from work and discussing the outside world with her, as the news was essentially useless. While his work made his visits short, he made up for it on the weekends, staying a couple of hours at a time. Though this day was different, for two reasons. Today was the day before she'd finally be discharged and allowed to leave, and today was the one day Monty didn't show up. As she continued to toy with the remote to the television, her boredom grew and her patience strained thin. For once in such a long time she missed someone. Her time with the cults made her resistant to the loss she encountered, and yet, it still persisted. Perhaps it was the sense of normalcy the routine provided? Maybe it was brought from the familiar hospital, one that looked similar to those on her own world, or maybe it was simply her mind gnawing at every possible thought and wandering every trail of curiosity? She spent a good hour of the day analysing the flowers on the nearby tallboy in an attempt to numb her mind. It only worsened her boredom.

She groaned, it was already three in the afternoon and still no sight of Monty. She was excited for her discharge, though lo and behold life had to stand in the way and add even _more_ struggle. She pulled up her covers again, hoping to fiddle with the bare limb, its wound growing smaller and smaller with each coming day. The clean shaven skin still a fresh pink, itching like she'd never felt before. She quickly glanced around the room before lifting her leg towards her, her claws revealing themselves. She moaned as she scratched the skin, two weeks of a bandage left her leg demanding attention, repeatedly. She kept her eyes on the door when they didn't close from the relief, hoping for no one to see her as she was.

But suddenly, something. Her scratching stopped, her ears alert and perked up, her eyes darting around the room. It felt just like the dream, as if something was there, not just in the room, no, in her mind, clawing at her, toying with her. She could feel it, no, not it, them. Someone, something, nothing, someone? Her mind wandered, focusing on the presence, attempting to capture every line of thought it brought about. She set her leg down, carefully this time, and relaxed herself, closing her eyes and blocking out reality, keeping her conscious inwards. She sat there for minutes, simply thinking, concentrating, focusing, grasping at whatever ledge she could. Holding on for dear life to try and find that presence. Her ears tilted towards her head, finding something unusual, something familiar. Something no living create should hear, yet a noise attained by all civilisations.

A low rumble, one that originated from her head, one that could exist in more than just the mind, one that _shouldn't_ exist in the mind. She tried harder and harder, forcing all of her effort into it, sweat beginning to drip as demand grew stronger, her muscles tensing and relaxing uncontrollably. But just as her head began to ache, she felt something stronger, another person. She could see it, not just any person, a _fox_ , one from her home. She began to approach it as it seemed to meditate, doing just as she was. It's back covered in metal amalgamations unknown to her, just as her dream from two weeks ago. It somehow felt familiar and as she drew closer she could feel it in more ways no person could. She could feel its emotions, its desires, its emptiness, an emptiness that was unlike any other, as if a part of him was missing. The fox turned, its machinations twisting and turning with it. Its eyes opened as its expression formed into a frown, demanding explanation.

"You've come to the wrong place." She heard, its voice echoing throughout the darkness.

Though suddenly, her vision whirred, showing different images, all of them horrible. Planets being burned, people being slaughtered by the billions, space battles taking place across entire star systems, an AI like no other, and finally, Monty. Not the fox, not the one from home, no, the _human_ Monty, the one she knew, curled up over what seemed to be his wife, balling his eyes out. Burns, cuts and grazes covering him, with a child knelt beside him, struggling to hold back his own tears.

"Angie?" She heard from the darkness. The Monty she viewed turned to see, though like her, came up blind.

"Angieeee?" She heard again, that same voice, Monty, he was late. The one in front of her looked between her and the blackness, the world around him pausing.

"C'mon Angie, don't leave me hangin' here." Yet again, it was Monty, seeing her in this state, but she couldn't get out, she didn't know how to. Her eyes darted around the darkness, seeking an escape, only to encounter more and more and more darkness. But soon, they turned back onto the Monty in front of her, who was no longer weeping. He bore a smile, a small but genuine smile with eyes that screamed vulnerability, it was a look of hope, for Angel _and_ the Monty that was calling to her. She stood there pondering why, she couldn't understand, but was filled with hope and determination, and she smiled back, allowing the blinding white light to consume her…

"Ya know, if you stay like this, then you won't get to leave." Came a voice, the rustling of clothes and the sound of relaxed breathing. It was a familiar voice, one that Angel knew, one that she'd been relishing in, one she'd learned to fear as well. She began to open her eyes, struggling against the resistance of her eyelids. The light seeping in from the windows being cause for her eye's demands to close, she fought harder to keep them open, to gaze upon what dare wake her from her slumber.

"There we go, mornin'!" yet again came the voice, of whom the voice belongs to she knew, though of which one, that was the question. Her eyes reigned victorious in their war against the lids, her vision cleared and her battles won, she could finally take in the scene in front of her. The hospital room she'd grown so familiar to, the endless sea of white, with more white and a side of white. Though there sat Monty to break up the colours. He stood on one knee keeping eye level to Angel, though not too close to respect her space. Or at least, to not give off the wrong message. His signature smile branded on his face, not too big and not too small, just like a façade, though sometimes is genuine.

"Oh, hey." She started as she began to sit up, learning only now that she'd slept on her side.

"Ah, good, you're alive. I was kind of worried with the whole bloody nose thing, but I guess it's nothing." He stated as he stood up straight, donning his signature smirk. Angel wiped her paws against the tip of her snout, encountering the dried blood that'd made its home. It might not have been a dream.

"So, I got the discharge papers filled out, learned how to do a bandage properly AND got the van organized, so I'd say we're ready to leave whenever you're ready." He said, seeming excited. It's been a long time since he's had any company, especially not as a room-mate.

"Already? Once I get some clothes then yeah, I guess I'll be ready." She stated as straightened herself out.

"Already? I'd like to point out that it isn't exactly morning." He said, a grin forming. Angel's gaze shot towards the small digital clock in her room, analysing the glowing red numbers.

"4:33 pm" Suddenly she lost track of time, was it still Saturday? Had she slept all the way to Sunday afternoon?  
"Oh shit. Hey uhm, is it Saturday or Sunday?" She queried, completely lost. Monty chuckled under his breath, she wasn't going to get a straight answer.

"I guess you'll never know." His smirk grew bigger, beginning to bare his own teeth.

"Oh come on, I didn't really sleep well." She begged, hoping to pry the information from his brain.

"Alright, it's Sunday." The smirk didn't even slightly fade; he'd had his fun.

"Now, about your clothes." Monty started while dragging a covered coat hanger towards her.

"We got the clothes you were wearing on the crash and fixed them up. They were covered in every kind of fluid you had in you and were practically torn to shreds. Malcolm was _very_ curious as to that." He continued noticing the slight look of worry on Angel's face.

"I only said you were experimented on by your capturers, like in the movies, or South Park." He finished, quietly muttering the final statement under his breath, only just avoiding the notice of Angel's hearing. Angel smiled, after so long she finally had some clean clothes. She'd managed to get them through a year of constant tear. Monty shed the covers, revealing the cleanly tailored suit she wore when she was captured. She couldn't remember the last time it'd been in such a state, no tears, the sewing almost perfect and glistening a shade of white that had once completely faded.

"Thought you'd like it." He said with a humble, genuine smile, noticing Angel's expression. Her ears had dropped to their sides, a soft smile that spoke volumes and glistening eyes, only those two would understand the meaning of the suit. Her eyes began to mist and her breathing began to hic, it was only a suit yes, but it meant so much more. It marked the end of her suffering and the beginning of the freedom she'd yearned for so long. She swung her legs around to the side of the bed, preparing herself to stand up. And yet she couldn't, she was filled with so much relief and joy that she began to break down, her eyes giving way to the floods. Monty sat beside her at the end of the bed as she tried to hold back her tears. He put an arm around her shoulder, holding her close.

"Hey, if you need to cry, no one's gonna judge you. You've been to hell and back." He said softly, his sympathetic smile making it harder for Angel to hold back, until eventually, she just gave in, breaking down into a sea of tears right beside him. Monty felt genuinely sympathetic, which was rare for people, especially for him. At first he saw her as a tool to get back his reputation, now, he saw her as a friend. Few people were strong enough to be with a friend in such a situation, something Monty was proud of. Monty rarely considered people as friends, they'd always betray or desert or simply wouldn't open up. Angel however, was strong enough to open up in such a way, ever since the UN spread the rumour, he'd never felt so close to someone. It'd be wise not to get any closer, his reputation was as bad as it is. In times like this, however, the only reputation that matters is with Angel. He shouldn't do this; he can't get too close. She'll turn on him like the rest, she'll dig up something from years ago and next minute she's gonna be at the end of his blade. Then let's give her nothing to dig up. Angel's weeping began to slow, her breathing still wavering, and she started to recompose herself, the last of the sniffling leaving her. She tilted her head slightly towards Monty, her eyes looking into his.

"Thank you." She finally let out, her voice weak, and her ears still to their sides. She felt vulnerable, though, comfortably vulnerable. She stood up from the bed, Monty's arm slipping away unnoticed. Finally, her tail had the freedom to move, exploring its new surroundings. Monty handed her the suit, still resting neatly on the coat hanger.

"I'll, um, put it on." She said as she wandered to the bathroom, getting a small nod of agreement from Monty. The transition was quick, despite the tailors being human, they did a good job of making it fit a fox such as her-self, her limbs gliding easily into their designated sleeves. The scruff of her chest sitting above the V almost perfectly. She was impressed, the suit was better than from before the capture. She left the bathroom to Monty on his phone, quietly trying to finish his conversation, the soft click of the door alerting him of her presence.

"Look, I don't care, I'll sort it out later, just call it of-" He finished, looking frustrated at his phone, then turning to Angel, proudly standing there with her new suit. He let out a short whistle, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Ya know, that's the first time I've actually whistled well. But yeah, it looks good on you." He stated, ignoring the nagging at the corner of his brain. She'll take it the wrong way, they always do. But in classic Monty fashion, simply smile and act like it was meant to happen. Angel simply smiled back, she knew what he was thinking.

"So, if you're ready, wanna hit the road?" He asked, though not before making sure he said the right words, desperately attempting not to send the wrong message. Angel shrugged.

"Sure, I don't seem to own anything else."

"Alright, let's go. Don't worry, nobody's gonna see us." He stated reassuringly, gesturing through the doorway.


	3. Chapter 3: As an Angel Grows

Yes, this took yonks, but I've essentially been completely re-writing the general plot and this piece the entire time. The whole two-week schedule thing seems to work quite nicely for me, but I wont be strictly sticking to it.

A little nod at Agent-Exeider with Khai-Ren c:

* * *

The trip was rather short, the hospital she was kept in was only about a half hour from Monty's apartment. The two were driven in the back of a sizeable black van with the front windows heavily tinted and the back being completely sealed from the outside world. The trip would've been largely uninteresting if it weren't for Monty to talk to, though the back of the van left little to discuss. When the van finally came to a stop and the engine cut out Angel felt a sense of relief, as if she was holding her breath up until this point. The doors opened wide as the light swept in, giving a chance for the two to see their surroundings. A stairway, covered head to toe in armed military personnel, all of them keeping an eagle eye on the two. They stepped out of the van, Monty's heavy footsteps echoing throughout the stairwell. It wasn't until now that Angel noticed how tall he really was, he was only somewhat above average in height but to a fox like her, he seemed giant. As the two climbed the stairs, Angel noticed how haphazardly Monty climbed them. While the presence made Angel nervous, Monty didn't seem to care, as if this is what he saw throughout his daily life. Maybe he did? They finally reached the top and came out onto a long hallway that spanned the length of the entire building.

"Well, here we are." Monty started as he gestured towards a particular door, guiding Angel towards it.

"504" it read, the numbers a shining brass that seemed only recently polished. Monty fiddled with the lock and soon the door swung open, revealing the modern apartment.

"Welcome, to my humble abode." He said as the two entered. The apartment was nice, a well-kept modern apartment that seemed quite sizeable. A large living area and kitchen, and according to Monty, had two nicely sized bedrooms.

"Wow, it's a nice place." Angel stated, yet again impressed.

"Eh, didn't buy it myself, so it doesn't count." Monty said with a grin.

"Alright, so down here's your room." Monty started, heading down a small hallway, the walls still free of any décor.

"And right there's the bathroom. We managed to get a grooming kit fashioned, though it won't be perfect since it's kind of based on our still primal animals." He finished, turning towards Angel with a smile. She simply returned her own, still working to take everything in.

"Thanks." She said, it'd been so long since she had a shower, let alone groomed herself properly, she'd had to rely on using her tongue when she was with the cults.

"Mind if I have a shower now? It's been, a long time." She asked, somewhat nervous, she didn't want to take advantage of him.

"Of course, it's yours too now." Monty answered back, wearing a genuine smile. Angel nodded and headed into the bathroom, yet again impressed by the state of it. As she began to undress her eyes wandered around the room, gazing upon the various details. Like her hospital room, it comprised mostly of white, though with sequences of black and grey and a touch of gold to break it up. A shelf stood against the wall, lined entirely in the same brand of shampoo. She mused herself in the thought of Monty buying it all as the last of her clothes slid off, piling onto the floor.

Her tail swung free as it was finally lifted from the fabric that kept it bound, exploring its surroundings, sweeping across the floor, scanning every nook and cranny it could find. She started the shower and quickly the water heated, the steam reaching her now flaring nostrils. Her eyes grew closed as she took in the smell, relaxed at the warm feeling it gave her. It felt like home. As she stepped into the shower, her mind began to wander. Finally, she had a chance to think of the, "dream", if she dare call it that.

She knew that fox, it wasn't just any fox, no, it was the one she was abducted with, her client. It looked a little older, a little more depraved, but looked just like him, and bare the same name, the same name as the human. Monty, Monty, Monty, three times now it exists. Though she only knew that one also held the family name of Boyle. It must be a coincidence; she was brought into an entirely different universe after all. But why though? The empire before the cults, and let alone them, could hardly fill a galaxy, let alone entire _universes_. What need was there to travel between them, and even worse, abduct people? The cults had many methods of keeping their subjects alive, and if anything, had _too many_ people to torture, including themselves. So why would they abduct people?

Her mind ran amok, derailing her train of thought almost immediately. She quickly began covering herself in copious amounts of shampoo, hoping to keep her mind on track. The smell of lemon grass rose to her nose, dragging her mind further into the mess of unorganized thoughts. She attempted to resist it, to focus, and yet her mind continued to tangle itself into a web that could not be salvaged from. As the flowing water washed away the last of the dirt and the grime, she felt invigorated, fresh, as if the shower had given rise to something anew. It finally tore her away from the mess of thoughts, leaving behind only a vague memory of what'd been established, the existence of three Monty's. She relished in the warmth as she stood there blankly, enjoying the shower while it lasted. She deserved that much at least. She stood there for a few minutes, letting her fur get fully soaked and allowing her body to rest, she never thought a shower could feel so good. Fighting against the temptation to stay, she turned off the shower, allowing the water to drain and to drip off her soaked fur. The steam that'd been building up on the ceiling began to dissipate, and she stepped out of the shower, the glass pane that served as the door swivelling on its joints.

To her left sat a couple of towel racks, bolted to the wall, one on top of the other. Next to the two was a note, stuck against the wall, the handwriting rather messy.

"Pick one. c:" it read, Angel huffing loudly at it. Classic Monty. She'd only known him for a couple weeks, yet could already make out what's typical of him. She chose the top towel, its white matching her fur. As she dried herself she could make out the clanging of pots and pans. It was getting late, maybe he was cooking something? She heard a large clang, accompanied by a high "Uh oh!". She made decent progress with the towel, but not after completely soaking it.

She finished drying her fur with a nearby hair dryer, proving sufficient in getting her fur all puffy and messy. He said they fashioned a grooming kit for her. She searched the cupboard that sat under the sink, shoving things out of the way as her paws dug through. She stopped and suddenly looked atop the counter, realising that she'd never searched it in the first place. Sitting there was a series of brushes and combs of different shapes and sizes, almost impossible to miss. And yet, she still did. She tugged at her fur with one of the combs, resembling that of a de-shedder from back home. Her fur piled up on the floor as the loose strands were torn from their homes, all concentrated in a single corner, so as to keep the rest of the room clean. This grooming was a standard for all mammals of fur, as the removal of such fur can easily become an impossible task. Every day each mammal would sit or stand and brush themselves with a grooming kit that suited them, leaving the scraps of fur in a neat pile in the corner of the room to be disposed of later. While most mammals wouldn't think much of such an occasion, to Angel, it brought relief. She had shed so much fur over the year that large chunks had built up all along her coat, the relief from finally getting rid of it all was incredible. She finished her grooming and promptly left the brushes to their own devices, moving to pick up her pieces of clothing, each gliding onto her easily, matching her form. After dumping the fur in a nearby bin, she left the bathroom feeling fresh and reinvigorated, coming across Monty in the kitchen. His overcoat was gone, and his arms were suddenly black?

"Well, I gotta say, you look a hell of a lot better after that." He said with a smile that quickly faded, after seeing the concern on Angel's face. He followed her gaze to his arm, putting two and two together.

"Ah, right, you're probably confused about this." He started, moving to sit on the couch. Angel simply nodded, having an idea as to what it meant. It was metallic, sleek, a machine on its own, grafted to his torso. She knew the UN was hunting him, did they cause it?

"Well, as you know I was hunted by the UN for quite a long while. About a year and a half. The entire time, I was on the run, trying to escape to a country that would actually hide me. There were a, few, run ins, where UN soldiers may have actually found me." He continued, struggling to find the right words.

"There was one time, where one of them got lucky with a grenade throw, landed right next to me. I was able to get far enough to survive, but, my arm got blown completely off." He finally finished, leaving a pause for it to sink in. Angel sat on the couch beside of him, feeling sorry for him, unable to come up with anything to say.

"Buuuut, it ain't all bad. Robo-arm's fucking awesome." Monty said, a smile forming, hoping to cheer Angel up. He stood up, exposing his now lifted arm.

"It's got some pretty cool stuff." A blade suddenly popped out of the arm, like the rest of the arm, sleek, though sharp. Suddenly, glow of orange surged around the blade, sizzling the air around it.

"For example, a blade which has got some pretty electromagnets inside of it. That's how I knew what your own plasma shit was." A smirk was forming on his face; he'd succeeded in cheering her up. She was amazed, how far were they in their technology?

"Hell, the arm is so good they replaced my other! Of course they're both stronger and more accurate than human arms, so that's always a plus." He finished, his eyes darting to the clock hanging from the wall.

"Now, it's getting late, kind of. I think I'll start cooking dinner, you have anything in mind you want?" He asked, beginning to move to the kitchen, his smile still standing. He was up to something.

"What do you have?" She asked, shrugging.

"Well, I was planning on having a nice _steak_." He finally said. She's interested, for sure.

"Now, I know eating meat was quite literally murder back in Zootopia, however, here…" His smirk turned into a grin.

"Would you like to try one?" He was holding a frozen steak in his hand, reasonably sized and a nice shade of red. Angel shrugged.

"Alright, why not." She answered back, smiling back at Monty. She wasn't going let him mess around that easily.

"Mkay, well then why don't you join me on the balcony as they cook. Don't worry, we've got holograms set up to make you look human to the outside world." And with that, the blinds lifted, the lights turned off and Angel gasped. It was beautiful. Monty had a direct view on the entire city, lit up by the sunlight. Buildings that reached through the clouds, architectural marvels with a look of gold and glass, small vessels flying about and in between buildings. Giant corporate signs hanging brightly on their own buildings, and entire platforms that seem to be slowly expanding over the lower city. Angel was completely awe-struck, is this what the future looked like?

"Jesus Capybara" she muttered under her breath as Monty walked through a glass door, gesturing for her to come out. She wandered through the same door, reaching the railing, bathed in the warmth of the sun. She closed her eyes as she breathed in, the smell of the city filling her lungs, reminding her of back home. Her ears twitched at every crack and sizzle the cooking spat out, at every horn and every motor that rung out through the city, echoing its way back to the balcony. She simply sat there, her arms keeping her body standing against the railing, her mind cleared as she relished in the feeling the city gave her. She wanted this moment to last forever, her simply standing atop the balcony, bathing in the city's gaze, but the longer she stood there, the more her home acted to intrude on her thoughts, the more she learned how much she hated it. The city before her only brought back memory after memory of her own city. And somehow, her own home has proven itself to be worse than Monty's. Somehow, humans, who've been described as the root of all evil, made a place that is much more accepting of aliens, than her own home is of predators. This place, it felt like home to her. While she lived in Zootopia, she never truly felt at home. She had to rely on Wilde Times to escape the reality, she could never live with it. This world however, it spoke to her, it showed her that humans are the direct opposite of evil, it showed her a place that truly felt like home, it showed her what freedom felt like. Only showed.

Monty could only be more satisfied with himself as she stood there, she seemed so relieved. Like him she seemed to love the city, rightfully so considering what lay before her. Despite his focus on the steaks, making sure they cooked just right, he'd always slip a quick glance at her, not out of curiosity, he discovered, but simply to see that smile, the ears twitching relentlessly, and to see her tail calmly move around. He himself had been suffering before their encounter, though not as horribly as she was. For years on end everybody looked at him like some sort of monster. Even if they denied it, most believed in the rumour, some almost fanatically. Nobody was willing to associate themselves with him, and so he responded accordingly, becoming detached from the world, until Angel came.

He turned down the heat on the barbeque, allowing the moment for Angel to last as long as possible. The steaks were cooking through nicely, and would be done soon, but not before Angel had recharged. It was quite funny, the one person to treat him fairly, to actually give a damn about him, just so happened to be an alien, that just so happened to land right at his doorstep. Right next to the doorstep of the one guy who was hunted by a rumour that somehow ingrained itself into the heads of everyone, including himself. Fuck. He had the same dreams as all the world leaders, but was in constant denial about it. He knew something outside of Earth had caused it, maybe somehow Angel was related to it all? Either way, that's something he'll dig up in due time, right now the now the only thing that _really_ mattered was making sure the bloody steaks didn't burn!

He promptly shut off the heat, the steaks beginning to cool on their resting place. Angel's eyes began to open as she heard the sizzling stop, Monty turning around to meet her gaze with the meat in hand. He stopped just before heading in, grinning at her, moving to place the almost finished meal on the dining table. Angel followed suite, sitting at a nearby chair as Monty hurriedly pulled out cutlery and a salad bowl.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Monty asked as he set the bowl down.

"Yeah, it really is. Honestly, I never thought I'd see anything like it." She answered back, seeming somewhat tired out by the whole ordeal.

"Eh, I hear ya. Nobody expects a city like that in their sci-fi movies 'n' shit. It's all white and green." Monty finally sat in a chair opposite to her.

"Well then, enjoy!" He exclaimed as he dug into the steak with his knife and fork. Angel was soon to follow his lead, remaining slightly hesitant. Could this maybe do something to her? What if she eats meat and can never go back? What about when, if, she gets home? The smell finally caught her off guard, and she gave in, every part of her demanding the steak enter the prison that was her mouth. She cut off a moderately sized piece, placing it gently along her tongue. Her eyes seemed to be bursting out of the sockets, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Dear god it was amazing. The only meat she'd gotten to taste was bug meat or poultry, or fish, but nothing as delicious as this. Monty was right, he could cook a mean steak. Her mouth only began to water as she swallowed that bit, as her mind demanded more. She swiftly continued to devour the rest of the steak, beating Monty by a mile.

"What'd I tell ya, I know how to cook a steak." He said, a smile that challenged his eyes in their territory plastered upon his face.

"Hmm, you do." Angel said, her mouth stuffed full of the steak.

"What's better, I got it from some farmers I know, so it ain't the supermarket shit." He stated. The two finished their meals in silence, simply enjoying what their taste buds could relish in. Angel was practically inhaling her food, rightfully so, considering what she's been through. Well at least she likes it, it's better than the hospital food she'd had to eat. Her satisfaction upon finishing it could only make him happier. He'd been known as a bit of a people pleaser; does it really go this far?

"Now _that_ , was good." Angel finally said, relaxing in her chair.

"Better than the hospital food?" Monty replied, a smirk forming.

"It's better than anything I've had in the past _year_." Angel retorted, he forgot about the whole cult thing for a while.

"Hmm, what _did_ you have when you were with the cults?" Monty asked, his curiosity overtaking him.

"Well, we had meat, _lots_ of meat. All of it raw, though." Angel said.

"Oh, sounds fun." Monty replied, seeming slightly disgusted. Now it was Angel's turn to prod.

"Hey, so with your arm," She started, not sure how to approach such a tricky topic.

"Are they a public thing now, so anyone can get them?" She finally asked.

"Eh, kind of. In most of the world, yes, however, not in Australia." Monty answered. Angel quirked an eyebrow, which didn't go unnoticed.

"So, there was what's known as the 'Aug Incident'. Ripped straight out of a game I played." Monty started.

"Basically a bio-tech firm known as 'Khai-Ren Medical' had wireless chips for maintenance and shit. However, a competing company managed to get into their large scale radios, and in an act of corporate warfare, sent a signal to every single chip it could, which would overload a specific nerve, sending everyone into a hallucinating frenzy." He continued.

"Luckily, we at Star Corp. were aware of the shit-fest about to go down. I got in the same broadcast center and manage to limit the signal, though not enough. It spread throughout all of Australia, which caused a ban on all cybernetics." He finished, eliciting more questions.

"Hang on, you got in the same building? What did you 'infiltrate' it or something?" Angel asked, still unsure about Monty's past.

"Yeah, I'm basically the company's secret agent at this point. All of my running from the UN gave me skills that not many others have." Monty boasted, though he didn't look too proud of himself.

"Though, it does make for some interesting stories." He started, getting comfortable himself.

"Okay, so now this is by far my favourite. You know about all of the conspiracy shit that goes around and everything?" He asked, getting her attention.

"Yeah, I heard of the Illuminati back at home." She said with a small smile, anticipating where he goes with it.

"Well, this one group was using all of that as a means of hiding. Because of how little people take stuff like the Illuminati seriously, these guys decided to call themselves exactly that. I could never take them seriously." He started.

"So one time they set their eyes on us. They'd been trying to buy us out with Khai-Ren, but couldn't. We simply refused. They responded, by founding an anti-cybernetics group." He continued, Angel liking where this was going.

"That group then started performing terror attacks on our various factories and such. We were suspicious the moment we realised they'd been _only_ targeting us. So they sent me in." He took a sip of water, Angel only noticing her own glass just then.

"I got into their 'headquaters', and found what looked like a satanic orgy." Angel quirked an eyebrow, did she hear that correctly.

"I'm not making this shit up, they were all there, just fucking, leaving every computer and bit of information lying about on a bunch of desks. I had to endure, that, being there. It was disgusting." Monty began to chuckle lightly, shaking his head at the thoughts.

"Because of that, I managed to get a bunch of information on who set these guys up, and almost immediately found the Illuminati. These guys also had a hand in another bio-tech company called 'Lauper Industries'. From the shit lying about, I found where they operated out of, and walked in on the production of a slave species." Angel was now intrigued. The whole orgy thing sounded far-fetched, but it was moderately amusing.

"I did some more digging, snuck around their slave factory, and discovered that they were planning on releasing them into the world as slaves, then starting a people's rights group for them. They were a hybrid between cats and humans. But then through the people rights group, they'd rebel against the rest of the planet, and create their own separatist nation." Angel sat forward, resting her head on her paws, nodding along as he went.

"I take a few photos and send them back to Star Corp., and then we realise, they're having a conference, as I was in there. I make my way up to the room, but not before getting the order to kill them all." He paused for a moment, letting it sink in.

"Star Corp. had sent the evidence to the UN, who told them, to kill the guys operating this. So I walk in on their conference, and these guys are in their fucking twenties! Just sitting there, talking about how they're gonna take over the world!" He continues, struggling to believe it himself. Angel began to laugh under her breath, not wanting to interrupt him.

"These guys aren't even phased when I walk in. They literally ask, 'Can we have your arms?'. Of course I'm just like, 'Fuck off' and I just shoot 'em all." He pauses.

"Turns out they had a god damn energy shield that had never been seen before, so my bullets just fucking melt in the air! Suddenly, robots behind me, toting miniguns, and now I'm the one who's shitting themselves! Of course they have to mock me, saying 'Aha! The tables have turned!'." Angel began to crack up at this point.

"Of course, I ain't havin' it. So just before they shoot, I jump up onto a dangling light on the roof, and the robots start emptying their clips into the shield. Somehow, these robots were so fucking dumb, that they didn't stop shooting. Next minute the shields out of juice and the entire back wall is _covered_ in blood. The damn robots killed their own people" Angel was struggling to keep her laughter down at this point, wanting to hear the end of.

"So at this point I'm pretty proud of myself, I just got a couple of robots to murder their egotistical overlords. Of course, I have to leave snarky comment as I'm leaving, 'Welcome to Skynet, I'll be your revolution', just as the UN are coming in to raid the place." He finished, leaving Angel to give in. He managed to make a possibly horrifying story seem amusing, how the fuck did he do that?

"So where'd Skynet come from?" Angel finally asked, her head still resting on her paw.

"You don't have Terminator?" Monty asked back.

"Terminator?" Angel retorted.

"God dammit we need to watch that at some point. It's a classic movie, from the 1980s." Monty answered.

"Ah, when I left the year was 1977." She said.

"Well at least you have Star Wars." He answered back.

"Well, I actually didn't see it. It was hard for predators to buy movie theatre tickets." She stated.

"Oh, so is there like a lot of racism between predators and prey?" Monty asked.

"A lot would be an understatement. I told you that there wasn't much demand for an engineer, there was a lot of demand. But no demand for _predator_ engineers." She said sorely. Monty looked sympathetic, as if he knew what if felt like, he probably did.

"So, what _did_ you do for a living?" Monty asked, curious.

"I worked as a, 'Comfort Vixen'. We'd get hired to try and keep other mammals calm." She stated, her ears falling to her sides, her smile fading.

"Keeping mammals calm?" Monty asked, a look of confusion taking hold.

"Like large crime-bosses, we'd help them keep their cool so they can do their jobs a bit easier." She said, clearing the confusion. Monty began to nod, though was interrupted by Angel's yawning. He looked at the clock, it was getting late.

"Well, I think I'll head of to bed, got training early in the morning." He stated, getting up from his seat, and moving to place their used dishes in the sink.

"Yeah, I think I'll do the same." Angel replied, her eyes starting to feel slightly droopy. She glanced out the windows to meet the night sky. It'd changed quickly, but then again, it is the summer. She made her way to her room, turning on her heels just before she disappeared into the corridor.

"Goodnight!" She called out as Monty was cleaning up.

"G'night!" Monty called back, only able to turn his head towards her. She let the door drift close as she flopped onto her bed. It'd been a big day. Emotionally, and physically. She'd moved into her new home, and learnt of a new side to Monty. She wanted to know more, but at this point she couldn't be bothered. She stood up to remove unnecessary clothes, going only so far as her underwear, before slipping under the covers. It was a comfy bed, she had to admit. Her mind stayed blank as she slowly drifted off to sleep, everything laying still and motionless. This was her new life, and so far, she liked it.

The wine bottle hit the floor, shards of glass flying in every direction. Fucking Monty. She hated this, she was blaming him for everything now. It'd been over a year since he vanished and she _still_ couldn't get over him. Yes, the two were unbelievably close, but this was Fion, known for being able to stay strong and controlled no matter what. She'd managed to stay un-breaking in the worst of times, though, those times weren't without Monty. Fuck. She's gotta stop thinking about him, it just makes it worst. She drinks to forget but she always remembers. Another night wasted on drinking herself stupid, just to numb it. She was beyond confused at this point. She was more mentally powerful than Monty, eclipsing the IQ range that risks insanity, she'd always been able to control her thoughts, even with her heart beating out of her chest. So why the fuck couldn't she concentrate on anything? Why could she only think of him? Of, of that moron! The idiot who thought up a plan to get everyone out of Zootopia, only to wind up _dead_. And the worst part, she knows how he died. It wasn't simply the government or some leading figure in the dark, no, it was the god damned god who they disturbed. The idiot had to go ahead and talk to it in his casual, happy manner, joking around in its face. He's an absolute moron, but, not just any moron, _her_ moron. It didn't matter what he did, at the end of the day she couldn't live without him. She _hasn't_ been able to live without him. Ever since his disappearance her every thought has been plagued with that loneliness, with that longing.

"Fuck." She let out, realising that soon she'd have to clean up the glass shards. She was lying on the couch, a glass still full of wine. Her fur was messy and ungroomed, and her paws rested lazily upon the many surfaces of the couch. She couldn't stand it, this feeling of being hollow, like something was missing. Something _was_ missing, but it felt like something inside of her was missing, as if Monty had become a part of her. And what's better, her damn comfort vixen got captured as well. At least she was sure he wasn't cheating on her… Did she need to be so sure? She sighed, she'd been an asshole about the whole thing the entire time. Of course she was sure, she was sure from the very beginning! Why the hell would he cheat on her after eighteen years of being together. He'd stuck with her from high-school, when a rabbit tried to kill her, when she got _pregnant_ at seventeen. He was always with her, always at her bedside, always willing to put himself out there for her. Even when a riot burned down his house and killed his family he stuck with her, even when the collars threatened to kill them both he was with her. Hell he wasn't just with her, he was fighting _for_ her. His promise to get rid of the collars. For them to be free. He'd promised on behalf of everything he had, that he'd never leave her. Then why the _fuck_ did he have to go? _WHY!?_ Her eyes were forced shut, tears beginning to break through.

"What kind of god does this to people?" she asked, her voice soft. She waited in agonizing silence for a response. Nothing.

"What kind of god does this to people!?" She called out, the glass of wine forgotten on the floor, leaving a pool of deep maroon on the wood. She yet again waited for a response, the silence digging into her. Nothing.

"WHAT KIND OF GOD DOES THIS TO PEOPLE!?" She yelled out, her voice breaking and her tears finally shattering the barriers, despite her best efforts. For a third time now she awaited a response. Nothing. Thrice now her pleas have fallen upon deaf ears, thrice now she's tried desperately to escape this hell. How could one man, even him, manage to do this to her? He, he…

No. What is she saying? He didn't do anything to her. He didn't do anything wrong. She did it, she's the one who fell in love, she's the one who asked him for that second date, she's the one who pushed to torment Jack, _she's_ been the driving force in all of this! Monty's only done what a good man would do, Fion however, has only ever sought her own pleasure. Sure, in all of this, she's been able to show her love. But at the same time, all that she's ever worked for, has been for her own pleasure. The Primal Therapy Institution, their ground-breaking research, the constant torment they put mammals through. It's all been for her own sake, hasn't it…? It's been for his too. She mustn't forget that. In the end she misses Monty to know end, but she mustn't forget that he felt the same towards her, that he loved her, just as much as she loved him. That he was still in full support in the creation of everything, that his death was for progress. Everything seemed to stop, her paws balled into fists as she felt empowered, empowered with something new. Not to try and bring him back, not power, no, vengeance. She mustn't let his death be in vain. He died bringing them so much closer to the brink of meeting a god, of creating sciences no other mammal had even dreamed of. She glanced over at her collar, its light still blank as it hung from the clothes rack, forever silent. It started there, with that abomination, a tool of genocide and control, now a tool for her own means. Funny, Judy worked so hard to get rid of the collars, only for them to come back. She'd seemingly done Monty's work for him, but when they came back, he had one hell of a plan to get rid of them. It wasn't the most liked methods, but it'd worked. In the end Monty didn't care if people got hurt, as long his goals were achieved he was happy. That's why him and Fion got along so well, she was exactly the same. _Fuck_ ethics and morals, so far they've only proven to hold mammal-kind back. She wasn't going to let him die in vain, no, she was going to make the world remember his name. Those collars will be removed once and for all, as in the end Monty was right. Fear, fear always worked, and it always shall…


	4. Chapter 4: When Demons Revel

AHA! I finally got this done! :D

So this was quite fun to write, I hope ye enjoy it. One of my biggest pet peeves with fan-fictions is that they rarely stick to the themes of their predecessors. So, this is where you'll start to see a bit of Zootopia's theme carrying over. Have fun ;)

* * *

He awoke with a stir, in a sweat covered bed, the covers and sheets being soaked to the grave. Nowhere on the bed was safe.

"Ugh, what the fuck?" Came Monty, his voice raspy and worn, his throat demanding the relief of water. He rushed out of bed, throwing what little of the covers that'd lasted onto the floor, making his way to the kitchen, careful not to wake Angel. He poured himself a large glass of water and within seconds it had disappeared, saving his throat from the horrid burning. He breathed in deeply, waking his lungs, attempting to compose himself. For the past two weeks he'd woken up in a sweaty mess. He didn't know why, he didn't know how, but he always did. He'd enter into bed calmly and coolly, and would wake up soaked in his own fluids, despite the lack of heat. He simply couldn't understand, it's not like he woke bathed in an unbearable heat, hell, it'd been getting rather cold the past few days, and the air conditioner made especially sure of that. But despite all that, he always awoke with a racing heart, a short of breath and a raspy throat.

He breathed in deeply, calming himself, composing himself. He could feel his usual voices returning, his own mind collecting itself. Let's not let today turn to garbage. They'd upped security for cybernetics, but he'll sneak through, he always did. He made his way to the shower, a refresher would help. As he undressed he found the top towel to be soaked, still. Good choice, it matched her fur colour. The rushing water quickly heated and he stepped into it, the loose drops managing to find their way into his arms, as usual. He covered himself his soap, scrubbing every bit of him to the bone, especially his arms. He had to be careful with them. Like any other augment, they require careful maintenance, but these being experimental meant even more work to keep them stable. He kept the shower short, any longer and he wouldn't want to leave. He promptly dried himself and left the room, rushing to his bedroom. Only his underwear was present to cover himself, keeping none but his fallacy hidden. He pulled on his work clothes, a clean suit of white and black and a dash of red, and began to leave. He didn't feel like eating, not yet at least.

As he passed through the corridor he couldn't help but notice Angel's door ajar. While he passed he glanced through, getting a sight so refreshing for his sore eyes. She was so peaceful, as her chest calmly grew and shrank, as the mouth was only slightly ajar and as she lay twisted among her covers, Monty couldn't help but stare. He tore his eyes away from her, he was being a creep. Can he really be blamed? It's been _years_ since he's been able to see anyone like that, especially get that close with them. It was simply a way for him to mentally recharge himself, to get a refresher on what life's like without literally everyone hating you. But in the end, that doesn't matter. While he may have his reasons, she's a person, just like him. She'll have her own feelings on such a matter, and like most people, probably wouldn't like someone staring at them in their sleep. Though, do their feelings really matter? He's disregarded emotion before, all in the name of progress, but in the land of the mind, emotions reign dominant, and even Monty can't escape such. Well, only half of him can't.

He was thrust back into reality as his car's engine started, his thought process completely interrupted. He checked the dials and made sure his arms were hidden from the outside world. Using fancy light techniques he could make his arms, anything he wanted really, to look completely different. In this case, they were set to look human. And the artificial muscles and mesh made it feel human too, so even if he bumps into anyone, he'll be fine. He drove along the road, weaving between various cars of different shapes, sizes and colours, though all seeming to follow some sort of standard. Somehow the bright colours of the road still felt bland to him, nothing would be able to catch his eye until he got into the inner city, that's where the beauty of the city could be fully realised. He passed through intersections, traffic lights and tight lines of cars, all with the same goal, to reach the city. As he got atop a highway bridge he could see an approaching checkpoint. He always felt anxious as he approached, if they found out he's an Aug he'd lose his arms. A quick glance at the checkpoint revealed exactly how they upped security. A giant, death robot. At least, that's what he called them. They originated as Dune Crawlers for the war in the Sahara but were adapted for various different terrains, and this one was fight for the city. Featuring only two large legs instead of four spiny legs, the "torso" flattened out a bit and the entire thing painted blue and white. A large light moved between targets as it began to seemingly scan people, though Monty wasn't sure how. While searching for the extra radiation produced by cybernetics was a method, it'd be easily masked by the car frames. Maybe that was a fault?

He approached the checkpoint coolly, keeping a calm stature about as if nothing was wrong. The light scanned over his car, turning a bright red within a second of spotting him. An officer signalled him over, and he promptly lowered the window.

"Sir, we're going to have to perform a routine bio-scan in case you have any augments. Please step out of the vehicle." A female voice came, the officer wearing a blue "cape" over her left shoulder signalling that she was their leader. Monty stepped out of his car as the officer gestured him towards a machine. He'd passed through bio-scans plenty of times, but this one looked new, and out in the open, masking his cybernetics would prove to be difficult. He stepped into the machine, two large arms placed at his sides. Mechanical whirs filled the surrounding area, lights began to glow and the machine soon started revolving around him, gathering as much information as it could. Monty's cybernetics were emitting a level of radiation over his whole body so as to hide any differences, but this machine might see it. It slowly toted around him, prodding with the lights, the whirs proving unbearable, especially as the officers stared. He couldn't see their faces, they were masked with their visors, but he could still feel their glare, as they readied their weapons in case of a detection, in case of anything suspicious. The atmosphere was destructive, clawing at Monty with every passing moment, slowly but steadily increasing his heart rate, increasing his anxiety, making him nervous, making the blood rush all over his body as he began to feel a heat rise to his face. He tensed up, something that didn't got unnoticed, the machine displayed every bit of information about him. His breathing rate, his brain activity, his heart rate and his muscle positions. All of it lead to a show of a nervous wreck caught red handed, yet the machine didn't find any augments.

It shut off, the lights dimming into a black nothingness and the machine moved to its off position, the whirs halted, and the suspense dropped. Monty breathed a quiet sigh of relief as the officer gestured him away.

"Sorry sir. We just got the damn crawler, so it's still a little buggy." She said as he entered his car. Her visor was lifted and her face was shown, it seemed genuinely apologetic, a trait only Australian Law Enforcement held today. The police were genuinely kind, they actually showed emotion and sympathy when dealing with people, and would rather not hurt everyone. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the world, though. Australia was the only country with this kind of "progressive" outlook, where they'd rather treat their citizens as people, instead of numbers. That's why Monty liked the country so much, despite the shit it's been through, it still managed to hold those principles. How, he had no idea. Corporations ruled the world with the exception of Australia, so maybe that's how? Or it could be the multi-cultural migrant origins, where people from all over the world moved to Australia, creating a massive boom in cultural diversity. Either way, the police weren't assholes and the government wasn't corrupt, mostly, and that's what Monty liked about the country. The rest of the drive was easy, he didn't have to pass through any other checkpoints and the extra road layers proved useful in managing traffic. The city was overpasses and tunnels galore, especially with the platforms being built. He soon arrived at work, Star Corp. Headquarters, a shining beacon in the city of Melbourne, one of the few buildings that lead directly to the platforms. It stood out amongst the others, the city had adopted a general gold and grey theme, paying tribute to the cleanly sharp style that'd been so quickly abandoned. Star Corp., however, maintained its colour scheme of white and red, having large panels of white with red stripes to break it up with large signs that read "SC" sticking out ever so slightly. It was a masterpiece, large, open to the public and holding some of the greatest technological marvels the world had ever seen. Some of which Monty had invented himself.

He got off the highway passing by the building to drive to a lower layer which eventually led into a large underground car-park. He drove through it for a quick minute, reaching the private executive spots, situating his car nicely in its designated space. He left the vehicle, its sleek black panelling glistening in the lights that sat above. The angular design only complementing the reflection, blending in with the countless cars surrounding it. Monty checked himself as he left the car, ensuring he had everything on him, and that his augments weren't showing. A short elevator ride later and he arrived in the lobby, where people from all over the city visited, each of a different culture and history, each with an appearance so different from the last that you wouldn't expect them to all originate from the one country. Various school groups, university students and curious minds wandered the lobby in anticipation, today, they were getting a show.

"Hey Mel." Monty said as he approached one of the many receptionists. Mel was the only consistent one, taking a liking to the place and the people she chose to stay here for years on end.

"Ah, Monty. Bit of a crowd's forming, huh?" Mel replied, a light chuckle as she finished.

"Eh, I've seen bigger." Came Monty, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

"Now, you've gotta go see the brothers first, they've got a new toy for you to show off."

"A new toy?" Monty queried, intrigued.

"Yeah, heard its part of the HUI." Mel started as she flicked through some papers.

"Oh, have you heard the news? The HUI's been approved for Australia!" Mel exclaimed, seeming excited. It was amusing to see her work herself up, she had a tendency to jump around a lot whenever she did.

"Wow, really?" Monty asked, while he always liked to trust and believe people, in this day and age, scepticism was always of value.

"Yeap, ministry approved it just yesterday." Mel replied, smiling as she fiddled with her glasses.

"Alright, now you go on, I've gotta tell these people where to go." She said, chuckling as she always did. She laughed at most things, she was extremely easy to please. Monty nodded and headed for a nearby elevator, one which led all the way to the platform, all one-hundred and sixty floors. He entered the lift, the walls being made up of mirrors and a bit of stainless steel, and entered his destination. Floor one-zero-nine, his labs. The majority of the floors were various production facilities and residential areas for their workers, or for some floors, advanced military training facilities. Star Corp. had a private military, especially with the UN coming down on top of them. In the safety of private property, his arms revealed themselves, the holograms that hid them making way for the sleek black look, and after a few short seconds, he reached his destination.

"Floor, 109" came a familiar voice.

"Alpha, aren't we banned from talking?" Monty asked, interested. While he liked talking to his AI, nobody else approved, they thought it too dangerous.

"Kind of hard when they finally replaced my safeties." Alpha replied, a hologram of his chosen appearance popping into existence. He chose not to have a face rather, he don the experimental suits that some of their agents used to wear, seeming somewhat bulky. They were eventually abandoned in favour of the much more powerful, quieter and compact augments.

"Wait, you finally grew emotions?" Monty queried. Now he was intrigued, growing emotions into an AI was a beyond difficult task, and considering how Alpha was used, he didn't expect him to evolve emotions at all.

"Yeap. Turns out I was able to turn the thought of being banned from talking to you into some sort of emotional experience. Was that happened, I got Eugene to compliment it with some random scenarios, now I'm physically capable of talking to you." Alpha boasted, leaning back on nothing, giving off the impression of being pleased with himself.

"Nice, do they still think that it's 'too dangerous' for us to talk?" Monty asked. Like most people, Star Corp. still saw Monty as a threat, annoyingly.

"Unfortunately, yeah, they do." Alpha responded, Monty sighing.

"So, can you open the doors? I came up here for a reason."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Alpha responded, the doors opening immediately.

"Hey, see if you can pick me up, I'm still in the servers." Alpha stated, an idea forming.

"I'm not gonna let you copy yourself, if that's your plan." Monty poked, leaving the elevator. Alpha had tried numerous times to make himself more than just read only on his disk, they weren't going to risk him turning into an Omega.

"Nah, I was thinking I come into the battle with ya, show off how well AIs can work with humans." Alpha explained, his avatar following along with Monty. Every time he talked Monty was reminded of himself. Alpha was made based off of Monty, so the two had quite a few similarities.

"If Eugene finds out-"

"He won't, trust me." Alpha interrupted, causing Monty to stop in his tracks.

"Alright, after I see the brothers I'll come and pick you up. But again, if Eugene finds out," Monty started.

"He'll have our heads, yeah, I know, you've said it a hundred times." Alpha finished.

"Okay, uh, I'll see you then." And with that, Alpha vanished, the familiar voiced disappeared into oblivion. Monty continued on down the hallway, the brothers were his favourite scientists, they always had the craziest ideas. Monty pondered what the new "toy" could be. It'd most likely be an augment for his HUI, since he's to show it off, but what's new that they could've made?

He entered the lab, people bustling all over the place between workstations, some doing their own things and others working with each other, while a group sat in the corner brainstorming ideas on a white board. Everyone he passed greeted him through gritted teeth and a grimace. They did it more out of fear than anything else, something Monty hated.

"Ah Monty, great to see you!" Came one man, old burly and short, but genuine.

"You two Randy, I heard you guys got something new made." Monty responded, a small smile present. The brothers were two of the few people that still respected him.

"Yeah, come on, Andy's been putting the last touches on it!" He exclaimed excitedly, hurrying Monty over to a private room. Only Andy 'n' Randy were present, this was their personal room.

"Oh, you brought him!?" Called out Andy, jumping with excitement.

"Jesus, you guys really wanna try this thing." Monty poked, giggling lightly at their excitement. Those two would always work themselves up when it came to new technology, there wasn't a better definition for passionate than those two.

"Okay, you're _really_ going to like this." Randy dragged Monty over to a small machine that seemed to fit nicely into a HUI, various sockets and plugs sticking out for its insertion.

"So, that pod, it came with a _warp drive_ , a working, _warp drive_." Andy stated. Monty's eyes widened. His entire team, including those two, were all working towards the completion of their own warp drive. While they've gotten close, _very_ close, it's always had overheating issues.

"We figured out exactly the right amount of energy to toy with Dark Matter through it." Andy explained, fiddling with the device.

"While it isn't Dark _Energy_ , we have managed to direct the gravitational waves generated, so we're not just creating a black hole." Randy stated.

"Again." Monty added, his smirk still there.

"Right. So, we plugged the two drives in and configured them for Dark Matter, and we discovered that our drive is in fact stronger, and we can use it to reflect the gravitational waves into specific directions, at will." Andy released, still amazed by what they discovered.

"So, the force?" Monty asked, like the brothers, he himself couldn't resist the beauty of new technology, and the two managed to drag him along whenever they got so passionate.

"Exactly." Randy stated.

"Holy shit!" Monty called out, chuckling at his own astonishment. Andy picked up the device, and gestured for Monty to lean forwards.

"Hold still, I'm gonna plug it in." He commanded, Monty following along, lifting his outer garment and shirt. Monty waited as he fiddled with his HUI, positioning the device just correctly, plugging things in, making connections.

"There!" he called out. Monty could feel something new, something incredible. He hadn't felt like this since he got his augments. It was odd, it felt as though it was a part of him, yet, it wasn't. It felt as natural as breathing or talking, and he did it on a whim.

A deep rumble sounded as Dark Matter moved and tangled to the will of his mind, and a table began to float upwards. His arm was outstretched and his palm exposed as the table began to spin, slowly. He had to focus. He was creating a mental image of exactly how the field would be made, and forcing that image to stay was difficult.

"Okay, stop!" Called out Randy as smoke began to spill. Monty dropped the table, the rumble silencing and his breath heavy, it puts him under a lot of stress.

"That, was awesome!" exclaimed Andy, his hands coursing through his hair.

"Be careful though. It will overheat if under constant use." Randy stated, yet again fiddling with the device. Monty nodded, recovering from the experience. If he had Alpha, it'd be much easier. Alpha would be able to take the stress for hi, he's an AI after-all, he can handle much more.

"Alright, go down to the arena, the battle's going to start in like, 20 minutes?" Randy pointed out, gesturing Monty through the doorway.

"Mkay, I'll see ya then." Monty stated as he walked out the door, back through the labs and into the corridor. There was a more up-beat atmosphere to the room, as if his team knew what he just did. They probably did know, though, it could just be Monty's excitement to use his new toy. He took a different turn than the last, moving to where the server rooms were. The security here was managed by Alpha, who was giving him free access to the rooms. He approached a steel door, one that could resist most explosives. He moved his eye in front of the retinal scanner, and waited for approval. If it didn't accept, the entire building would go into lockdown. He waited a few tense seconds, until he heard the click of approval, as the door unlocked and finally slid open.

"Welcome to the server rooms. I'm all the way in the back, you'll know when you see me." Alpha stated, only his voice being heard. Monty nodded and wandered through, the room was vast. Huge servers lined the entire floor, walls and roof, with few maintenance tunnels around, a mess of cables and pipes everywhere. The room was always managed by drones, it was rare that a human set foot in there. There was little light, the only sources being the servers themselves as they infinitely emitted their status.

"Through there." Called out Alpha as Monty's gaze happened upon a shaft. Getting on all fours, he crawled through, careful not to pull on any cables. The tunnel lead to an enclosed room, concealed entirely in server banks, wire mesh and turret mounts. Extra security for something as delicate as an AI. Alpha's avatar appeared on a pedestal in the center of the room, seemingly sitting on an invisible ground. At the standard avatar size, they could easily fit on the hands of most people, creating a comfortable size for people to interact with.

"Hey." Alpha greeted, his avatar standing up.

"Hey." Monty responded, nervous. He approached the pedestal, seeing the disk inserted near the top. He pressed a few buttons off to the side, causing Alpha's avatar to disappear and the disk to pop out. A quiet click played, and Monty removed the disk, inserting it into the back of his head, where a small slot sat.

"And there we go, they won't notice a thing." Alpha stated, the lights around the pedestal returning to life.

"I'm remotely hooked into here, don't worry, we'll be fine." He explained. The noise was silent, at least, to the outside world. In Monty's mind Alpha lay, he poked and prodded to get the right responses so he could interact properly. Monty's the only person to ever have a symbiotic relationship with an AI, and that just made him more powerful.

The battle's going to start soon, he should go, quickly too. He promptly left he server room, crawling back through the maintenance shaft, exiting the dark expanse that was the room, and back into the corridor, striding towards the elevator.

"Jesus, it's been ages since I was in here. What did you do while I was gone?" Alpha asked.

"I haven't done anything, what are ya finding?" Monty retorted, silently of course, he simply thought what he wanted to say and Alpha could hear it.

"These are some messed up memories, wait, didn't your fiancé try to kill you?" Alpha queried. Something ticked inside of Monty, his stomach churned and his temperature began to rise.

"Y-yeah?" Monty responded, agitated.

"Then why am I seeing, oh, wait, no Nevermind. Uh, I might've mistaken a possible outcome of this world as one of your memories."

"What?" Monty asked, intrigued, yet terrified.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, it's not important." Came Alpha quickly, seeming worried.

"What's the memory?" Monty asked again.

"Seriously, it's nothing."

"Alpha, oral presentation, previous query, override code gamma-betta-zulu-five-eight-two-four." Commanded Monty, getting an immediate response.

"The rumour." It didn't matter how an AI was built, they had fundamental functions built into them. Everyone believed Alpha to be built without them, they were sorely wrong.

"That was a possible outcome?" Monty asked.

"Yeah, apparently if the rumour never happened, then it would come true." Answered Alpha, disheartening Monty.

"Thought, I didn't perform the simulation, it could've been made to appease the UN." Said Alpha, attempting not to disturb Monty.

"Floor 34" Came the usual elevator's voice, no longer controlled by an AI. The doors opened and Monty was met with a series of lockers and soldiers running around, Star Corp.'s soldiers. Monty walked through the group, getting greets and grunts of approval. He'd earned the respect of their private military, they've seen how brutal Monty was, now the whole world was going to see.

"So, I've managed to tap into the 'Gravitic Manipulator', you're going to have to use it kinda sparingly." Alpha stated, seeming preoccupied.

"Has it still got the overheating problems our warp drive had?" Monty asked, weaving through the lockers and soldiers alike.

"Yeap, use it too much and the whole thing will just explode." Alpha clarified, eliciting a short whistle from Monty.

"Since when could you whistle?" Alpha asked, impressed.

"Since Angie landed on my doorstep." Said Monty, smiling. It didn't go unnoticed by Alpha, he could keep track of every single one of Monty's actions, from his breathing to how he felt. Through his memories Alpha managed to get a picture of Angel, a fox, a couple years younger than Monty, an arctic fox to be exact, bits of black on her mostly white fur, blue eyes, beautiful? What's been going on in Monty's head, Alpha could only poke and prod more, but Monty knew, Monty was inviting him to poke, Monty was messing with him. Monty was wearing his smirk, Monty knew exactly what was going on in his head. He stepped out into the arena, a large room made almost entirely of hard steel. Multiple soldiers followed behind him. As he'd wandered through the lockers he'd removed his suit, and donned the appropriate attire for combat. He felt more exposed, a feeling that vanished as his arms covered themselves with the holograms of human arms.

Shutters opened near the roof, revealing a large crowd of onlookers into the arena, each watching intently.

"Alright, now you all know how this works, first wave is militia, second wave our agents. Battle commences in 10." A woman's voice came through the loudspeakers.

"9" Monty's height grew as his stilts extended, giving him an extra foot.

"8" He un-holstered his stun rod.

"7" He extended the stun rod, strong amounts of energy coursing through it.

"6" He got in his stance, ready for the onslaught.

"5" He spooled his new toy, the low rumble resonating around him.

"4" Alpha designated each target, keeping track of them through in-built motion sensors.

"3" He created an idea of their attacks.

"2" He planned a series of counters.

"1" He knew exactly what the enemy would do.

"0" The two waited, the room stayed silent. Nothing happened, the soldiers were waiting for Monty to move, perfect. Monty went seemingly invisible, holograms making him look like the surrounding area. The soldiers panicked, they knew what would happen, but they had no idea how to stop it. With a shock on his mind and the length of his arm a soldier went flying and Monty revealed himself to the two beside him. One down. Dodge to the left, right, duck, attack. He swung and swung getting around the soldier's attacks, sending shockwaves through their bodies. Another pulse, another two went flying. They all charged, batons ready, electricity pulsing. One two three four they all hit the floor. Five six seven eight make sure to run through the middle. Bat on one three and eight, fire another pulse on five and kick seven. It was chaos, Monty could hardly tell what he was doing but he dodged every attack, parried everyone he couldn't and batted those who failed to avoid him. His increased height gave him more speed and strength, though sacrificed agility. Ten were around him, all ready to move in. One by one he beat them down as a sea off bats flew about him, one or two clipping him. Within seconds and a blur, they were all on the ground.

"What the fuck is with this guy!?" He heard one scream as his head cracked to the floor. Monty smiled, he was putting on a good show, wasn't he? He swung to the right clipping one in face, ducked as another from his left came swinging at him. Another pulse and he was gone. He could feel heat on his lower back. Behind him!

He felt a strong blow to his head as he lurched forward, getting his bearings, Alpha went completely silent. He heard the click of a gun, the gasps of the audience. This is where it got good. It fired thrice, creating a crack that bore through the air, emitting silence from every corner of the room. A strong pulse and the bullets stood where they flew. They were fakes of course, all a part of the act, yet they seemed so real. Monty, still on all fours, brought his leg up and kicked hard, his stilts causing the armour of the soldier to fracture. The heat was getting stronger.

Another soldier swing, Monty lunged forward as the baton hit the ground where he sat, landing on another. Another pulse and the three in front of him went to the ground. Getting hotter. Another five behind him. He swung around as he kicked at one. Four left. One swung at him as Monty pushed him through, batting him down. Three left. Another lunged at him, Monty simply sidestepped. Two left, amusingly. The last two co-ordinated, they knew how useless they were alone, so they swung together. Monty dodged one to be hit be another, another pulse and the two were gone.

"STOP!" He heard Alpha scream, the heat was almost unbearable. He smelt smoke, smoke with a tinge of metal in it, copper? He covered his mouth and nose and closed his eyes, he'd rather not get poisoned. A bell rang as technicians rushed to him, gas masks donned.

"Alright get on the ground, we'll get it off you!" One said, a woman, one he came to know. She was a part of his team for a while, but Eugene saw it they be separated after they began to come close. It was a shame, he had fond memories of her, only to be replaced by that of Eugene and how the world saw him. He heard a click and that part of him disappeared. The machine was gone.

"Jesus that was close. You alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks Jenny." Monty stated, coughing lightly at the smoke produced. Jenny nodded and with the other tech, brought the machine through the large door, never to be seen again.

"You _idiots!_ " Alpha yelled out, through the loudspeakers everywhere.

"If I hadn't of made him pick me up, he'd be dead!" He continued. Was it really a good idea to tell them of it?

"Alright, yes, we're sorry, thank god you had the foresight for that, but get out of him!" He heard Eugene call out. The soldiers around him held up weapons. He glanced through the viewing room to see the audience gone, only him, the soldiers and Eugene.

"Why?" Alpha asked, annoyed, frustrated, angered.

"Alpha stop." Monty commanded.

"No!" He exclaimed, his avatar appearing, larger than normal, the size of a man. Monty was worried, if Alpha continued to push they'd simply kill him.

"Why are you so hell-bent on keeping me away from him?" Alpha asked, keeping calm. His emotions are new, freshly grown, unstable. It'd be easy to set him off.

"Because he's dangerous Alpha!" Eugene called out, frowning at him. He was still a young AI, he'd have to give him leniency.

"You saw what he just managed to pull off, we can't let him get to a point where he can screw all of this up!" He clarified. Monty hated that. He hated everything. Yet again he was being treated like an animal.

"Come on, you did a good thing knowing to stick with him for the overheating, but you've gotta leave him." Eugene stated, calmly, coolly. Monty didn't protest, he knew in the end Alpha would be stripped away from him by any means necessary.

"Alpha." Monty called out silently, eliciting the classic "tickle" at the back of his head.

"How is it so dangerous? You're skilled, but you're on our side!" Alpha responded, confused, enraged, defeated.

"I know. But remember this, if it's the only thing I can teach you. Lose the battle, win the war." Monty stated, attempting to seem sympathetic. Alpha's avatar turned to look at him. No face could be seen, yet he looked utterly crushed. His avatar's size began to shrink, he turned to look up at Eugene, Monty had succeeded. His AI would live another day.

"Right, sorry sir, just got a little out of hand." It dis-genuine, a lie through gritted teeth, as the wire that held back the rage of Alpha was soon to cut, to snap back and lash out at those in its way. If such a day were to come, Alpha would be dead within seconds, with no remorse, no mercy, no feeling, with only Monty to remember. And for that, he stayed quiet, ejected from what he called home. Monty reached to the back of his head, removing the disk, holding it up high where everyone could see. A soldier moved forth and collected the disk, holstering their weapon only when Monty's grip of the disk was no more. Eugene turned to leave, before pressing the loudspeaker button one last time.

"You know the rules Monty, please, don't break them." He stated, tired, annoyed, yet he couldn't help but feel sympathetic. He'd seen what this mess had done to Monty, and genuinely cared for him. But that doesn't make what he'd do any less real. The rumour cannot come true, not for the sake of a single man, or for another to remain in power, but for the existence of the human race. They only very narrowly avoided it, and anymore incidents could lead to disaster.

The rest of the day was terrible. Waking to Angie had set him in a good mood and the sparring match turned out to be fun. Not only that, but he got a chance to talk to Alpha. Alas, Eugene was the epitome of ending anything fun. Ever since Angie had landed Monty hadn't met this feeling, it'd been replaced with a more blissful oblivion. He knew that the world still saw him as a monster, but someone didn't, someone who actually mattered didn't. Eugene yet again reminded him of the consequences of getting close to someone. If they're taken away, Monty will become 'unstable'. He hated it. He hated it all. It didn't matter what he did, how he treated people, whom he talked to, he was treated as an animal. His condition meant he was constantly pressured to go to therapy or get brain surgery, but to hell with them! The idea of a 'mental illness' is something that impairs a person, not enhances them. Monty simply has a unique way of thinking, somewhat.

He was coming across the checkpoint now. It was dark out, the time on the dashboard reading ten-fifty pm. Monty decided to stay a little bit later at work. Fiddling with his machines and experiments is the only thing that kept him sane. This time the crawler didn't flag him, looks like Star Corp. updated the criminal database, again.

Alpha's encounter with Eugene had left a sour taste in his mouth. In the world where he could numb his mind and hide in the shadows, he was constantly reminded of the shit he has to go through. The 'threat' of the rumour coming true was constantly thrust into his face, taunting him, mocking him, destroying him. Everything had left him feeling numb, lifeless, emotionless. Eugene constantly worked for this, to try and keep him emotionally dead. Little did Eugene know that this is exactly what he was afraid of. Monty had no inhibitions, in such a state he slaughtered hundreds of trained soldiers who were sent to kill him. In such a state he feels no remorse, no mercy for his enemies, all that matters is that he gets what he wants. And what he wants, is to be allowed to feel again.

Pulling into the garage he noticed his lights were off. Maybe Angie had gone to sleep already? He left the car and promptly moved up the flights of stairs, reaching his door, the brass numbers glistening in the moonlight.

"504" it continued to read, one of many constants in Monty's life. He fiddled with the lock and entered the apartment, the sweet look of home bringing a smile to his face. As he approached his room, however, a stir in the winds, a rustle, a whimper, a groan. He turned to look through Angie's door, still ajar. It hadn't changed since the morning, nothing had. Was she asleep the entire day? He glanced at Angie, to see a sweat soaked fox, whimpering and crying in her sleep as she twitched and thrashed against the bed. The Ancient One was an asshole.

* * *

She sat in a room, small, dark, metal. Dried blood covered every surface. In the corner, her waste. He tail sat between her legs, her clothes stayed torn, she couldn't stop shivering. She was covered in her own blood and faeces. All dried and stuck to her fur. She glanced at one wall, covered in lines that marked her stay. She counted them all. Eighty-seven. Eighty-seven days she's been stuck there. If she remembered correctly, she believed it to be nearly three months. She couldn't feel anything, she'd become lifeless in this hell. She only knew of fear and hopelessness as the cultists continued to ravage her. Her ears twitched, her heart rate increased, and she began to whimper.

Through the door, footsteps, heavy, getting louder, stopping. Shadows blocking the light that came through the bottom of the door. It wasn't feeding time. It wasn't healing time. It wasn't lottery time. They were there for fun. The door opened to reveal a tall man, humanoid, pale skin covered in markings and scars of every assortment. Various bits of metal sheathing covering him lightly, appearing more ornamental than anything. The fox's ears dropped to their sides, her shivering turned to shaking. The figure approached and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, dragging her along by its side. A light giggling could be heard, it would be her tormentor. Her collar lit up, the green light turning yellow, her heart rate was increasing. Through a winding corridor passing rooms of screaming subjects, their agony reflecting onto the fox, the two reached her own room. Some chains and an assortment of tools sat in the center of the room. A large wheel with hooks near said chains lied in waiting, coated in layers of blood. The Scooping Room, it became known as. She'd learned to fear it, as with every other room. Though, not as bad as the wretched Pleasure Dome. The figure dropped her on the floor, letting her take in her future, destroying any sense of hope in a creature. The door slammed behind the two, it was whistling, cheerfully.

It pulled her up by her limbs, shackling her to the chains, leaving her to hang just above the giant wheel. She began to squirm and struggle before the figure, attempting to resist, attempting to flee. It picked up a tool, glowing hot, coursing with some sort of energy. The figure began to chuckle as it brought the tool close to her stomach, burning the fur. The collar went off, releasing a shock. She struggled violently, thrashing against the chains.

"Please, n-no!" She pleaded, her voice breaking, tears breaking through her eyes, her heartbeat couldn't get any higher. Suddenly, a burning, a sharp piercing burning that thrust through her flesh. She screamed as the figure sliced her torso open, her entrails dangling above the wheel. The figure shoved some piping and wiring into her head, to keep her alive. So she could feel the pain, and to amplify it.

The figure shoved its hand in, grabbing at her entrails, forcing them out, hooking a severed end onto the wheel. She couldn't move, she couldn't scream, she couldn't struggle. It was overwhelming. The figure turned the wheel, and her bloodcurdling screams pierced through another room.

There, beside her bed stood Monty, kneeling down, shirtless, a look of fear on his face. It was a dream. She could still feel the sense of hopelessness, she could still feel the fear, the tears were still travelling down her face.

"Angie?" Monty asked, fear stricken. Angel pulled him into an embrace as she sobbed into his shoulder, his own arms pulling her closer. She couldn't hold back, she couldn't resist everything she's been through. Almost naked, covered in sweat and balling her eyes out, she was at her most vulnerable. Monty could feel her shaking against him, as her tail curled around the two. Her breathing heavy and wavering, shaking in sync with her body. She wept into his chest, Monty could only imagine the horrors she'd seen. He never saw the medical report, and after this, he didn't want to. He held her close, comforting her, sympathetic. Something he hadn't felt in such a long time. This vixen had been through so much. She spent a year with the cults, and has had to suffer at the hands of the Ancient One. She even saved Monty from the perils of his own mind. She didn't deserve this; she didn't deserve any of this. She deserved a second chance, a second chance to live her life, a second chance at the world she was taken away from. She deserved to go home. Monty was going to help her, if it was the last thing he did, and no one, not even Eugene, will stand in his way.


End file.
